Sports
Former UFC, WWE star Ronda Rousey finds 'path that I was meant for' as graphic novelist
Ronda Rousey couldn’t sleep.
It’s not that she wasn’t tired.
She was exhausted after shattering a knuckle at WrestleMania 35. Finally in her hotel bed after surgery, Rousey had a cross-country flight to Los Angeles in five hours.
Then inspiration struck. The former UFC champion and then-WWE superstar had been trying to work on a screenplay, but had only come up with a one-line synopsis: “Two wanted assassins with an unwanted pregnancy learn that giving life is harder than taking it.”
“Do you ever get an idea in your head and you’re laying in bed and then you won’t let yourself go to sleep and you keep repeating it in your head over and over so you don’t forget it by the morning?” Rousey said during a phone interview with The Times.
Sleep never came for Rousey, who typed all five hours in her hotel room and continued on the flight.
Five years later, that screenplay idea is now set to be a graphic novel. A Kickstarter campaign launches July 25 for “Expecting the Unexpected,” a Rousey-written 160-page book with illustrations by award-winning comic artist Michael Deodato slated to be published next year by Artists Writers and Artisans.
Through the Kickstarter campaign, fans will have 30 days to order the book, with access to a variety of special offerings, including limited and signed editions, variant artwork, bonus pages and the opportunity of being drawn into the novel as a character.
The story revolves around a notorious hitwoman who goes by the code name Mom, because she wears a fake baby bump filled with weapons. After she sleeps with a fellow assassin, however, Mom becomes pregnant for real and has to come to terms with the notion of becoming a parent … with a bounty on her head.
Ronda Rousey kisses the head of her daughter, La’akea Browne, in 2022.
(Courtesy of No DNB Productions)
In an early look at the novel, provided by AWA, one thing becomes clear upon first view of Mom, with her long hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, muscular arms, white tank top and some very familiar-looking facial expressions:
Mom is Rousey.
“I’m particularly pleased with how I captured Ronda’s essence in the Mom character — her mannerisms, personality, and even her laughter,” Deodato said.
The lead male character’s name is Hapa, the nickname of Rousey’s husband, former UFC fighter Travis Browne. Their first child together, La’akea Browne, was born in 2021.
“It really is our story — even though it didn’t really happen,” Rousey said, adding with a laugh, “ I didn’t really go on a spree of fighting all these people.”
Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne attend the Kids’ Choice Sports Awards on July 19, 2018, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
(Willy Sanjuan / Invision / Associated Press)
She explained: “The whole story is just the story of me and my husband. Our journey trying to get pregnant, having a baby, our becoming parents — you know, the process from when you become pregnant to when you accept the task of being a parent. … When you actually come to that realization and live up to it is I think a process that isn’t really covered in anything I’ve really seen so far. That was kind of a personal journey that was really important to us.”
Rousey was 21 when she became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in judo, taking home bronze from the 2008 Beijing Games. She became a superstar as a mixed martial artist, winning six UFC women’s bantamweight title bouts before retiring from MMA in 2016. Rousey remained in the spotlight as a professional wrestler, becoming a WWE triple-crown winner before retiring last year.
By 2019, Rousey had appeared in numerous movies and TV shows, but never a leading role. She wrote ‘Expecting the Unexpected” hoping to be the star, but realized she was too unproven.
That’s when she landed upon the idea of a graphic novel, a literary form she had become “a closet nerd” for as an adult.
Writing the script was just the start. .
“This has a lot of action sequences in it,” she said, “I wrote all the choreography for it in the script and I actually had to film them and perform the choreography with a couple of friends of mine in a wrestling ring.”
Deodato, the comic artist, then turns it into illustrations.
It’s a lot of work, but Rousey said she’s enjoying the process.
“I originally intended on this being a movie, but I really think that this is the way it was always meant to be, as a graphic novel. Maybe that’s the path that I was meant for more, to be a graphic novelist,” Rousey said.
Ronda Rousey works out July 15, 2015, at Glendale Fighting Club in Glendale, Calif.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
All that said, if presented with the opportunity, would Rousey be willing to turn her graphic novel back into a screenplay?
“Twist my arm and I’ll do it,” she laughed.
“But I’m also so happy with where I’m at. I don’t see this as a stepping stone, I see this as a new path that I never dreamed would be available to me, and I’m enjoying the scenery more than I ever thought was possible.”
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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